Bach, Beethoven, and Other Friends of Mankind

In 1977, the United States launched two space probes: Voyager I and Voyager II. They carried a “golden record,” containing sounds and images of Earth. That way, if we bumped into some folks out there, they might know something about us — “us” meaning human beings, not just Americans or Westerners.

Carl Sagan, the astronomer and TV host, chaired the committee that de­cided what to put on the record. Lewis Thomas, another eminent scientist, opined as follows: “I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach. But that would be boasting.”